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Regiment: 2nd Michigan Infantry
Battles Mentioned:
Historical Figures:
Oberlin Ohio
March 5th 67.
My Dear Friend
Your kind, good, welcome
letter was recieved some time since
and should have been answered im-
mediately had I not been over run with
work. I do thank you my friend, for your
kind, cheering words, and for the peace
which I am still permitted to hold in
your confidence and esteem. It is
exceedingly grateful to me to have
one of my old companions, with whom
I can talk freely of
[ ? ] pact, and feel
perfect confidence in his honor and
truth, and not fear that my letters will
ever meet other eyes than his own.
I do not wonder that it seems strange to
you to write to me under such circumstances
for I can scarcely realize that the past is past
and I am the same
[ ? ] where
you used to know one — — — — Yes, “truth
is stronger than fiction” and I do not
blame others for doubting, what seems
to myself, at time, so unreal.
I am very sorry to learn that our
mutual friend, Dr. Vickery, was so
badly wounded, Oh, I should like to
see him, but I could not tell him
that I and some one else, are one
and the same, and I would not be
willing for him to know it under any cir-
cumstances. Vickery was a good kind
friend to me, and my heart is full
of gratitude to him, but I could not
see him, or write to him even as I know
to you—and Capt. M. H
[ ? ] me as he
might have loved a younger
[ ? ] brother,
and never refused me a request that
he could consistently grant, and yet
I could not see him, or own my iden
tity to him in any way. And Agt. N.
what can I say of him—you know, my
friend, how I have wached beside him
night and day for weeks and months
from first at lest, yes, months—am
I loved him, oh, how much! but, as a
mother might have loved a tender
sensitive child, for whose life she
would have willingly laid down her
own—but he is gone, I trust, I belong
I know, to a better world—thank God he
was a sweet Christian.
In my letter of inquiry of forgot to en-
quire about Damon Stewart, and
[ ? ] Neill—I think you know that
Stewart, I think was transferred to
the 4
th M—he was a good boy
and I believe I owe my life to him
He tool care of me when I had the
ague at Hampton, and I wished
my life for him once during the
siege of Yorktown, a thing which
he will never forget, as long as he
lives, but his gratitude will be
watched on an imaginary
[ ? ]
and never a thought given to poor
[ ? ]
Well, there were many whom
I loved and respected very much
but among them all I can not
think of one today to whom
I would write as I have
done to my friend Sam—not
because I love them less
but because I would trust
them less.
I would like very much to
see you, but I know I should
feel so foolish that neither you
nor I should
[ ? ] the interview
but I shall be very happy to cor-
respond with you, and do my
best to entertain you as far as
my poor abilities go in that direc
tion. Ed. Hazen is practicing med
icine in Buffalo and I think have
graduated with honor—I hope your
sister has a good husband, for
she was a dear good girl and
I loved her very much, Your sincere
Friend Emma
I shall deem it a great pleasure to hear from you any time
[On Envelope:]
Saml M. Holton M.D.
Gorham
New York
